Today is the Winter Solstice. Also recognized as the first day of Winter and transition from shorter to longer days. Spiritually, today is a time for reflection and preparing for rebirth of consciousness.

For the next 3 days in this cosmic transition, the length of the days will remain steady. And then, on our day of Christmas 🎄 celebration - December 25, we will notice a more significant shift in the length of the day and begin our steady transformation from darkness to light.

The universal story of the birth of the sun/son is honoured on this beautiful day of connection, celebration and renewal. Across many religions and traditions, Christmas is a time for newness. A time for shedding the old and creating space for our spirit to be born and our renewed consciousness to come into being.

Every one of us is a seed of the divine. We hold within us spiritual potential that lies dormant until we cultivate the conditions for its growth. This growth isn't stagnant, nor is it a one-time thing. We have the opportunity to nurture our spiritual awakening every day.

The beauty of Winter Solstice and it's related cosmological markers of season change are that they provide reminders; guideposts and support for our growth. Written in the stars is our key to awakening and essential joy of being.

3 WAYS TO HONOUR THE SOLSTICE & PREPARE FOR GROWTH

1. Meditate/Reflect

Create time in your day to either meditate or reflect on where you are. The answers to these questions will help put in perspective the direction of your growth:

What lessons has the past year offered you?

What have you struggled with?

How have you grown?

2. Solstice Ceremony & Celebration

Alone or in a group, celebrating the Solstice is an incredible way to honour the transition. Celebrate in your own way, such as:

Lighting of a candle alone or in group and offering gratitude

Visiting your favorite place in Nature and connect with the earth - build a small shrine, watch the sunset, say a prayer etc

Sharing food - represent your faith in the returning of the sun and harvest with a gift of food

Silence - spend time alone to create the space for stillness.

3. Affirmation & Goal Setting

Affirmations are powerful statements that can completely transform your life. We operate with subconscious beliefs and patterns that can both serve us and limit us. By creating affirmations, we CHOOSE our beliefs and form new neural pathways, and essentially new patterns .

Goal setting is an extension of affirmation as change in belief is often needed to achieve new goals. Discovering your goals, then understanding the gap or limit of current belief will help you release old beliefs and make way for the changes you desire.

I have some great resources for you to help get started on that Goal setting and affirmation creation.

Affirmations - write your affirmations as personal, positive statements of your goals. As an example, if your goal is to be more honest and open with your partner, your affirmation would be "I am open and honest with my partner". Write it as though it is already a reality. Next, record your affirmation statements and play them back to you every day. Remember, it takes 21 days to create a habit, and the same is true for changing beliefs!